Ahura, one of my favorite people on the Hype...
That is kind of you to say and you are also high up there in my esteem.
What places in the world have you traveled to?
I have lived in Los Angeles, Teheran, Paris, Geneva, New York, London and Washinton DC (for only four months though).
I have visited Scottsdale in Arizona, St Andrews, Tryall near Montego Bay, Marrakesh, Las Vegas, Miami, Isleworth near Orlando, Seattle, San Francisco, Corsica, Lake Como, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Barcelona, the Quinto do Lago Estate in Portugal, Cairo, Prague, Kuwait, Luxembourg and several areas of France.
This is not exhaustive but it gives you a pretty good idea.
Which place was your favorite and why?
The easiest for me is Marrakesh for reasons explainned above and Tryall holds some great memories for me but again I cannot say that I have a favourite as every leisure destination is my favourite at the time I am taking it.
What places would you plan to visit in your lifetime?
I would like to visit Japan, China, Thailand, Australia, Petra, Hawaii, Augusta in Georgia, Pebble Beach in California, and a safari on the South African border.
What is your number one goal in life that you realistically hope to accomplish?
Have a child and raise him or her to help them live a good and happy life.
What draws you to the Hype day after day?
I find some of the conversation here to be entertaining or to even some times intellectually stimulating. You have some very intelligent posters who are quite impressive in their knowledge base and their powers of reasoning. You have others who have a great sense of humour.
In addition, I am a big fan of comic books and movies and I like reading about them.
Do you believe that an online community is as real, in the sense of camaraderie, as a community in real life?
That is actually a difficult question and worthy of a lengthy answer which you will not get here.
I will say that I do feel a sense of camraderie but it is not the same as the one I fell with people 'offline'. Now, I am someone who is willing to help those in need that I like and have done so for a few peoople from here who I have never met which would say the sense of camraderie is the same but it is not equivalent to my relationships in the real world. I would not cancel a date because of some conversation I would be having online and I try not to spend time on here outside of work.
What is your religious affiliation if any?
I was born a muslim but after having read the new testatament, the old testament, the Coran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, greek and nordic mythology I have set of beliefs which are a composite of many.
I think there is a possibility of a superiour force and one our human mind is not capable of comprehending. I think most religions were sets of ideals and rules set to make humans better people as well people who would procreate and propagate. Many of the rules in many religions make perfect sense if you apply them to the times and regions those religions were prevalant at the time they were created. Goodness does not come from the scriptures; it comes from each one of us.
I will leave this discussion with a question, if God is Omniscient (meaning to know everything that was, that is, that
will be) as well as Omnipotent then why would he create Man that would be born into families to worship religions that were wrong? A muslim child deserves to go to 'Heaven' as much as a Jewish or Christian or Hindu child.
What do you think about American mentality towards other countries when they are visiting those countries... as far as language and culture are concerned?
Well I would say there is no real American mentality as all generalisations tend to be incorrect when applied to specific examples. I would say some can be downright rude but then again I have heard the same said about many French.
There are people who go visit other countries with no interest in that country's culture and all that could be said about that is that it is sad for that individual. I must say I do find it hilarious when I see American tourists going to McDonalds here in Europe when they come for a short stay.
Is English your native tongue? If not... what language do you think with? What language do you dream with?
By now, I guess I would have to say it is my native tongue even though it was not the language I was born into.
If you could host a gathering of Hypesters, who would you invite and where?
That is a difficult question but I would host all above the age of 21 that I have interacted with and it would have to probably be a destination in the States maybe during Comic-Con or some other event as I would not pay for the travel plans of everyone and it would be what is most affordable for the majority.
In any case, I will be attending Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego and would enjoy meeting some fellow posters maybe having a meal all together.
